Robotic surgery performed remotely by the U.S. for a patient in Africa.

As part of a clinical trial approved by the FDA, a robotic prostatectomy was performed remotely in Florida on a Angolan patient.

“We will operate from the United States to Africa in an FDA-approved clinical trial. We’ll be performing a robotic prostatectomy for a man in Angola who otherwise would not have access to high-end surgical care,” Dr. Vip patel, Global Robotics Institute of AdventHealth.

This robotic system can be connected to multiple locations in the world including Sao Paulo Kuwait, Morocco, Shanghai and Angola. This allows for the possibility to provide medical treatment globally from one location.

“Yeah, people have operated at a distance before and telesurgery is becoming more and more common, but it’s never been done in this way, at this distance. Never from the United States to Africa and never where it’s been approved by a legal agency like the FDA,” said said Dr. Vip Patel.

The procedure at AdventHealth Global Robotics Institute can have a significant impact on global healthcare, by providing advanced surgical options for patients in underserved areas that would otherwise not have access to advanced medical treatment.